A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

After finishing these tasks, he began to examine his wound. The herbs were almost used up, and the area around the wound was still somewhat red.

He must get those three crows.

If he doesn't want it, he could very well die from infection before the Wang family even has a chance to take action.

Just as he took out his pickaxe and rope, intending to launch his operation that night, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Not just one or two, but a whole group.

Chen Mo's heart sank, and he immediately moved closer to the window crack.

Outside the courtyard gate, a dozen or so villagers stood in a dark mass.

The one leading the group was none other than Sun Dazhu.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he gripped a thick wooden stick tightly in his hand, shouting into the yard in a hoarse voice.

"Chen Mo! Come out here!"

My worst fears came true.

The grief of losing a loved one completely clouded the young man's mind.

Sun Dazhu's voice was hoarse from anger, and the sound spread throughout the quiet village.

"You have eggs to eat! You have grain to eat! My brother... my brother starved to death! If you don't distribute the grain today, we'll go in and take it ourselves!"

The villagers behind him remained silent, but they all held sticks, stones, and some even had hoes in their hands.

Hunger brought them together.

Goals are the same.

They robbed Chen Mo's house.

Chen Mo turned around and looked at his father, whose face was ashen on the kang (a heated brick bed), and his younger sister, who was trembling with fear. He also glanced at the cellar, which was hidden by firewood.

He knew that he probably couldn't escape this calamity today.

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

The thick wooden stick struck the thin wooden door with a dull thud.

Each sound made Chen Ling'er's heart tighten; her body trembled violently as she gripped Chen Mo's clothes tightly, her teeth chattering.

On the kang (a heated brick bed), Chen Dashan tried his best to sit up, his chest heaving violently, accompanied by a heart-wrenching cough.

"I...cough cough...I'll go out and tell them...we can't steal it..."

Chen Mo placed one hand on his father's shoulder, the pressure light but firm.

"Dad, don't move. I'll do it."

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Why insist on a head-on fight? There are over a dozen starving men outside, and you're injured in the leg. Fighting over a dozen people is simply suicide.

Dividing the grain? The grain in the cellar is the family's only hope for surviving the winter. If it's divided today, even more people will come tomorrow. Once people become greedy, there's no end to it, especially during times of famine.

We must use a plan.

Chen Mo's gaze swept over the gleaming pickaxe in the corner, and an idea formed in his mind.

Instead of heading towards the gate, he moved a stone to stand on, and using his hands and feet, he climbed up his own low earthen wall in no time.

This move took everyone by surprise.

The villagers gathered at the doorway unconsciously took a step back, craning their necks to look at the thin figure on the wall. The morning light outlined his silhouette, his expression obscured, but they could sense an indescribable aura emanating from him.

Chen Mo sat on the wall, one leg dangling, the other injured leg curled up. He looked down from above, his gaze fixed on Sun Dazhu at the front of the crowd.

"Sun Dazhu".

He spoke first, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Your brother passed away in the middle of the night yesterday, and it was just dawn this morning. Instead of hurrying to dig a grave and bury him, you brought people to bang on my door?"

Sun Dazhu felt uneasy under his gaze, but the thought of his brother's cold corpse ignited a surge of anger within him.

"It's all because my brother died!" The veins on his neck bulged. "You have eggs and grain to eat, yet you didn't help someone on the verge of death. My brother was killed because of people like you!"

"Yes! His family has grain!"

"Split it out!"

Some people in the crowd joined in the chanting, and the atmosphere became frenzied again.

Chen Mo didn't speak.

In front of everyone, he slowly, circle by circle, unwrapped the tattered strips of cloth wrapped around his right leg.

The strips of cloth were stained with dried blood and yellow pus, dripping down in circles, and a nauseating stench filled the air.

When the wound was fully exposed to the air, a collective gasp of shock came from outside the hospital.

That's not a wound.

It was a lump of rotten flesh.

The skin and flesh were all turned inside out, the edges black, the center a blurry mix of red and white flesh, constantly oozing pale yellow pus. Several greenbottle flies buzzed around it, wanting to land but afraid to.

Chen Mo spoke calmly: "Yesterday I went up the mountain to find food and got gored by a wild boar. Those two pigeon eggs cost me half my life."

He took the remaining two pigeon eggs from his pocket and gently placed them on the wall next to him.

In the morning light, the grayish-white pigeon eggs gleamed with a soft light.

That was food that could save lives.

"Whoever wants it, take it," Chen Mo said.

His hand was near the pigeon egg, and that hand had just been gripping a sharp iron pickaxe.

Nobody moved.

No one dared to step forward.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the lump of rotten flesh, their stomachs churning. They were thinking of seizing the grain, but they never imagined that the grain had come from this source.

"Have they all gone mad?!"

A burst of angry rebukes followed.

Li Laogen, leaning on his cane, practically ran over, his frail body trembling with anxiety. He squeezed through the crowd, spreading his arms to block the entrance to Chen Mo's house.

"Gathering in broad daylight to rob grain! How are you any different from the bandits in the mountains?!"

When Sun Dazhu saw Li Laogen, tears streamed down his face, and he knelt on the ground.

"Uncle Li... I... my brother is starving to death... Chen Mo's family has eggs... his family has eggs to eat..."

He cried like a child, repeating that sentence over and over again.

Li Laogen slammed his cane into the ground with a loud thud.

"Just because there are eggs doesn't mean you should get them. You took half a sack of moldy grain from Wang Mang's house yesterday, why didn't you share it with the starving widow Zhang at the east end of the village?"

Sun Dazhu's crying suddenly stopped; his mouth was open, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Li Laogen turned around, his eyes blurred, and looked at everyone present, his voice full of sorrow.

"I know everyone is hungry, so hungry their eyes are practically glowing green, but have you ever thought about who you'll rob next after you've robbed Chen Mo's family and run out of food?"

"Should we rob Zhang San or Li Si?"

"Once all the houses have been looted, this village will become a cannibalistic hell! No one will survive!"

These words struck a chord deep within everyone's hearts.

Some people silently lowered their heads, their grip on the sticks loosening. Yes, after robbing Chen Mo, would they be next?

Chen Mo seized the opportunity and jumped down from the top of the wall.

Upon landing, his injured leg buckled, and he let out a low groan, nearly collapsing to his knees. But he forced himself to stand, limping as he opened the courtyard gate.